The present invention relates generally to food packaging articles, and more specifically to preformed food containers and/or lids including an integrally formed eating utensil wherein the food containers have an outer film or membrane covering the integrally formed utensil, thereby protecting the utensil from contamination.
Preformed food containers are increasingly being utilized for packaging of individual meal kits to be consumed directly from the container. The pre-packaged food kits are desirable for the consumer due to the minimal preparation time required, ease of storage and exceptional shelf life. Additionally, since the food portions may be consumed without transfer to another container and the preformed containers are disposable, the pre-packaged food kits offer easy clean up after consuming the meal.
Manufacturers desire the ability to offer to the consumer a wide variety of foods in the pre-packaged food kits. Many foods, such as yogurt or pudding, require a utensil to extract the food from the container during consumption. Since manufacturers desire to make the meal kits as convenient to the consumer as possible, a utensil is usually provided as a separate item packed inside the container.
Providing a separate utensil and/or packing it adjacent to the food adds manufacturing costs and creates sanitation complexity. Consumers desire convenient utensils, yet want assurances that the utensil has been maintained in a sanitary and uncontaminated condition since its manufacture. This includes assurances that the utensil has not been handled or touched by other persons during the distribution of the container.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,607,864, 3,704,779, and 4,800,845, disclose food trays having utensils formed in the walls of the containers. However, these previous containers are not designed to be filled with food prior to distribution and further, the utensils so formed are not protected from contamination during the handling and distribution thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,245 discloses a food container having a utensil formed in a lid for a food container. The top of the utensil may be protected by covering with a small adhesive label, nevertheless the underside of the utensil adjacent to the food becomes coated with the foodstuff, such as pudding or yogurt, and must be cleaned before the consumer can put the utensil to use. This undesirably detracts from the convenience of the utensil.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a pre-formed food packaging article having an integrally formed utensil protected from contamination during handling and distribution, as well as from contact with the packaged food.